London is never the same after the boisterous Farthingales move into their townhouse on Chipping Way, one of the loveliest streets in fashionable Mayfair. With five beautiful daughters in residence, the street soon becomes known as a deathtrap for bachelors.

Ewan Cameron, estranged grandson of the Duke of Lotheil, is in London because of a deathbed promise made to his father and has no intention of staying beyond his three month obligation. Nothing can tempt him to remain, not even Lily, the beautiful bluestocking determined not only to restore relations between him and his grandfather, but to turn Ewan into a proper gentleman. Ewan, proud of his Scottish heritage, refuses to admit that Lily, a blue-eyed, English girl, has claimed his heart. It doesn’t matter that his big lump of a sheepdog is madly in love with her. Nor is it significant that Ewan can always tell Lily apart from her identical twin sister. Always.

Lily Farthingale, the scholarly twin, dreams of becoming the first female member of the Royal Society. She grabs at the chance when the elderly Duke of Lotheil approaches her with a proposition—he’ll admit her into the Royal Society, if she helps him to establish a relation with his estranged grandson, Ewan Cameron, a very rough-around-the-edges Scotsman who hates everything English. Between shootings, explosions, and Lily’s abduction, Ewan ends up falling in love with Lily in this Pygmalion-inspired story.

Ewan Cameron is in London to fulfill a deathbed promise to his father to live with his grandfather Duke of Lotheil. He has no intention of getting involved with any of the gently bred ladies. He is going back to Scotland in three months time at the end of his agreed-upon stay. Lily Farthingale is focused on getting into the Royal Society intending to be the first female to do so. The Duke of Lotheil who is the head decides to use that to his advantage to socialize Ewan. Neither Ewan and Lily have plans to fall for each other.

In ” an Oyster Shell – It was a little slow for my taste and didn’t keep my interest as much as I would have liked.

The Pearls – I love a good Regency. This had all the makings of a good one. It had society dukes and ladies. I always love the descriptions of the dresses and food. This book had it all.

The characters are interesting. Ewan was a fun character because he was a stubborn Scot. Lily was ahead of her time with her scholarly knowledge and ambition. It worked well in this story. There was some fun supporting characters.

The romance was sweet. The two characters made for an interesting mix. Ewan’s resistance made a good story.

The Sand – The pacing was slow and it was hard to stay interested in the story. It was not my favorite Regency.

3.5 Pearls!

About Meara Platt

Meara Platt is happily married to her Russell Crowe look-alike husband, and they have two terrific children. She lives in one of the many great towns on Long Island, New York, and loves it, except for the traffic. She has traveled extensively, occasionally lectures and finds time to write. Her favorite place in all the world is England’s Lake District, which may not come as a surprise since many of her stories are set in that idyllic landscape, including her Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award winning story.